Trump publicly backs Hegseth after reports he was weighing a replacement

President Trump declared Wednesday that he is not considering replacing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and that Hegseth is doing "a very good job," directly contradicting reports that had emerged earlier in the day. CBS News had reported that Trump was privately asking advisers whether Hegseth should stay in his role following Republicans' catastrophic losses in Tuesday's midterm elections.

The backdrop to Trump's statement is a sweeping Democratic victory in the 2026 midterms, which left Republicans holding weakened positions in both chambers. Some White House aides had predicted that blame for the GOP losses would be directed at senior military leadership, including Admiral Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Dan Caine. Democrats had already been pursuing impeachment efforts against Hegseth before the election, and those efforts are expected to intensify with Democrats holding strong congressional majorities.

Trump's public endorsement stopped immediate speculation about a near-term cabinet shake-up at the Pentagon, though sources cited by CBS News noted the president had not ruled anything out before making his statement.